Thomas
Certified Tutor
I have taught and tutored college students in writing and literature for nearly a decade. At Creighton University, I taught Rhetoric and Composition, World Literature, and also worked with students in the Writing Center. I earned a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Western Michigan University, where I taught Thought and Writing.
I love working with students one-on-one and creating a personalized learning experience through open communication. My goal is to give students the encouragement, the confidence, and the strategies to make their writing shine and to help them express their thoughts and ideas in the best possible way.
I'm also a published writer with short stories in The Louisville Review, Hawai'i Pacific Review, Valparaiso Fiction Review, and The Nassau Review. My self-published dystopian novel Never Too Far was a semi-finalist for the 2013 Best Indie Book Award as well as a Living Now Book Award Gold Medalist for adventure fiction.
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Undergraduate Degree: University of Northen Iowa - Bachelors, Humanities
Graduate Degree:Western Michigan University- Masters, Creative Writing
I enjoy writing and reading a wide range of fiction as well as general science and history. I also enjoy hiking and watching movies, but most of all I love spending time with my family.
- American Literature
- College English
- College Level American Literature
- Creative Writing
- English Grammar and Syntax
- ESL/ELL
- Essay Editing
- Fiction Writing
- Introduction to Fiction
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe the best learning occurs on an individual level that is sensitive to a student's needs and is grounded in good and open communication.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I like to get to know a little bit about students, especially their hopes and dreams in regards to education. I also like to find out what kind of writing issues they might be struggling with before we get into the specific assignment in which they need help. Building a good rapport is important. From there, I think it is necessary for students to read their work aloud so they can hear how it sounds and feels to a potential audience or teacher. After that, we can address larger issues of content and structure and whether or not the requirements of the assignment are being met. Lastly, we can tackle issues related to clarity, sentence, and grammar. My hope is that students will feel encouraged and motivated by the end of a session where I can offer tips and strategies to help them in the future.